Step 9

I couldn’t resist the yummy scent of the shea butter, I had to taste it! The best part is that I know exactly every ingredient that went into this.

Closing thoughts

The process itself was a lot of fun and reminded me that I’m terrible at following directions! Especially at keeping track of time. So instead of leaving it in the fridge for an hour, I left it for 2 hours. But all’s well that ends well

At $40 for the kit, it’s admittedly a lot pricier than what it would cost if you were to just buy these ingredients individually at a health food store. But you’re paying for the convenience and the quality of the ingredients.

The finished ready to use body butter is available on the Leona website for $25.

Although there are many of the Tanaka massage videos floating around on YouTube, I wanted to give a shoutout of thanks to Stephanie of Epic Beauty Guide who took on the the task of translating the videos into English.

If you watch the videos, there are some things that you may notice:

The massage is done according to a very specific sequence

Getting the right amount of pressure is important, “between pain and comfort”

For the sake of symmetry, always do to one side exactly what you did to the other

Yukuku Tanaka looks like a stern-faced Michael Jackson

Why I Think It Works

The reason for following the sequence according to the instructions and applying the proper amount of pressure is in order to facilitate the drainage of lymphatic fluids from your face.

If your skin responds well to natural oils, then I would recommend using sweet almond oil or coconut oil.

Some words of caution

It’s very important to follow the sequence as shown in the video. If you don’t do it properly, it can lead to facial sagging.

Always keep symmetry in mind.

Also, it’s important to apply the proper amount of pressure so you are massaging the muscles and not just tugging at the skin.

If you are concerned about pulling the skin around the eyes, try applying pressure with the pads of your fingers on the space between your eye and brow bone. It will have the same effect of draining fluids and reducing puffy eyes.

And one last thing: if your skin is prone to acne, you may want to slowly try out the massage.

If it’s leading to more breakouts, I would suggest stopping or reducing the amount of time that you perform the massage.

In Closing…

No matter your age, I hope you bring the practice of facial massage into your life.

It can be a very relaxing and pleasant addition to your nightly or morning routine